Mansfield Manor: A new neighborhood, a deadly past, it may be time to move again.

Copyright © 2021 by Jennifer Erickson

Second Edition

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic storage and retrieval systems, except by explicit prior written permission from the author. Brief passage excerpts for review and critical purposes are excepted.

All Rights Reserved. 

Cover design and illustrations by Jensen Collins

Copy editor: Jane St. John

                    ISBN: 978-0-578-86691-8 (Paperback)

                    ISBN: 978-0-578-86692-5 (eBook)

                 Printed In The United States of America

DEDICATION

To my partner Steve and to my mother. You two have been the biggest supporters of my personal and professional journey. I appreciate your advice, your patience, and you support while I live life in a way that makes me happy. Thank you.

1

Chapter One - The New Neighborhood

Our move to the new neighborhood is a typical family decision that our parents have made for us. Matt and I are not excited about it at all. Mom just decides she wants to move back to her hometown and Dad agrees with her, just like that. What’s that about? No fighting, no arguing, no debating, no chance to say NO!

It’s not fair, I don’t want to leave the friends I have known my entire life. This is my home! I don’t understand why she has to take us away when it’s wonderful right here. Listening to my mom describe her childhood – well it sounds horrendous. Her hometown has to be the most boring place in the whole world. Besides, she obviously moved away for a reason and I need to remind her of that. I will tell her I refuse to leave, refuse to follow her without a good reason. I will stand my ground and protest.

~

A couple of weeks later…

~

Mom, how much longer before we get there? I’m going to explode if I have to sit in this car another minute. My butt is aching, my legs are stiff, and Matt is snoring so loud it’s making my head hurt.

Darling, do you have to be so dramatic already? This is going to be a long drive and we have several hours left until we get to our new home. Mom says with exasperation.

All I can think of is that it’s not going to be our home. Mom keeps saying our new home, but it’s not going to be MY home. I will live there, but we just left my home and to make matters worse, I feel as though we’ve been driving for days. Why does Mom have to move so far away? She really upsets me sometimes.

You know, I can’t help but think that adults always make comments like act your age or kids need to be more responsible, but how can a grown adult just wake up one day and decide her family needs to move? I mean, what’s that all about? It’s as if she’s obsessed.

I mean, she and Dad go away for the weekend and come home with a new house! How responsible is that? It’s insanity, that’s what it is. Parents only care about themselves and don’t ever think about how their decisions affect their children.

Our old house was great. The shape of my room was a perfect fit for five girls when I had sleepovers. This was ideal because I have four best friends. My life was amazing. Besides my best buddies, I had so many other friends. I was a very popular person, not that I particularly wanted to be popular, but let’s face it, in high school, it helps.

My school was the best and I was in the Spanish Club, Latin Club, Beta Club, English Honors Club, Thespian Club and Yearbook. My high school years have, so far, really been quite excellent, way better than those stupid high school TV shows I used to watch. Those shows are so fake! I can’t stand how the writers try to act like they know teenagers, but actually they don’t know anything.

I’m sure they are all old and haven’t been around teens in decades. Mom and Dad are too old too. They don’t remember how important the teenage years are. These years are absolutely critical, and my happiness now will ensure I have a good life in the future. This house move is ruining everything and now I’m doomed to be sad and alone forever.

If Mom had ever had even one best friend in school, she would understand better. I can’t believe I won’t see Caitlyn anymore. I want to cry so bad.

I need to think about something else. I can’t bear the thought of Matt telling me to stop crying one more time. Boys just don’t understand. Hmm, I wonder what my new school will be like? I’m going to miss my old school. It was only half a mile from home. We had fun walking to school. I know, some kids hate walking to school, but we didn’t mind.

We’d meet up with our friends along the way and chat or compare homework answers or just goof around on our walk to school. After classes we’d all meet up at the corner of Chesney Street and play kickball or baseball.

Darling, here is a tissue, dry your eyes, Mom says with a smile, as if my emotional pain is funny. I promise you it’s really not as bad as you think it will be. Why don’t you look on the bright side? And if you can’t do that, just tone down the drama a little bit.

Drama? I’m never dramatic, but if I were, today it would be ok. Today is the beginning of the end. It’s entirely dreadful. She just doesn’t realize how my life is completely ruined.

Tears have been running down my cheeks for hours. The car is silent except for my sobbing and Matt’s snoring. Finally, we pull up in the driveway. I may be sad, but I’m ready to get out of the car.

Oh, my legs hurt. My feet have sharp prickly pains. Mom, see what this trip has done to me? Mom, where are you going?

Mom and Dad don’t say much, they just quietly follow the path to the front door. Then Mom turns around with that look on her face, Lizzy, stop fussing and come in and see the house.

That’s when it happened, the beginning of the end.

Again. I stare up at the house to get a good look at it. I decide I will take it all in and then decide, - not that I will tell Mom and Dad that I am trying to be reasonable. Then it hits me. I get the first sign that something isn’t quite right.

Our house is blue and not just blue, but royal blue! I like blue, but who would paint a house royal blue? It practically glows it’s so bright. Yuck. Every other house is tan, white or beige and then there is ours. You can’t miss it.

What’s that smell? I ask looking at Matt.

Geez Lizzy, it’s called fresh air. Matt snorts at me. Chill out a bit. Dad, are girls always so over the top? Matt asks, pulling out his skateboard.

Matt, I would answer that if it wouldn’t get me in to trouble. Dad says, smiling.

I know Matt cares, even if he does refuse to admit it. Why don’t boys think more about these kinds of important things? Look at him, just skateboarding down the street like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

MATT, get back here. Mom and Dad didn’t say you can skateboard yet.

Lizzy, Dad says looking at me sternly, Leave your brother alone. He won’t get lost, he is fine.

Oh, sure, just ‘cause he can memorize everything so easily. It’s not fair that Matt can just go anywhere, and I can’t and he’s younger than me! I yelled back at Dad.

Pumpkin, you get lost when you’re at the mall and you’ve been there a hundred times. There’s just way too much drama with you. The tears and the panic. You are the smartest kid I know, but you are geographically challenged. I’m just way too tired to deal with the drama today but you can walk around if you stay with your brother.

Matt is such a weirdo sometimes. He loves to wander away and he will be gone for hours. It used to freak our parents out, but Matt always remembers where he went. I mean exactly.

He can ride in the car or on his skateboard and go down any street and he still remembers his way back. He knows instinctively which houses are where. It’s as if he builds a map in his head and if he doesn’t know one street, he will find signs to get himself close and then he is back on track. Because of this, he is great at school without even studying, except for English.

He’s not as good at that as I am because I can write better than he can. It’s not really fair though, I mean I have good grades too, but I have to study. He should have to study more too.

The worst, it drives me crazy that I’m fifteen and Matt’s only thirteen, but he has more freedom than I do because he is better at a few things than I am. I am older and have my own talents. 

The moving truck pulls in shortly after we do. I haven’t done anything yet. I’m still standing in the front yard, watching Matt skateboard away and staring at the houses around us. The moving men don’t say a whole lot, just grunt as they pick up the heavy couch and loveseat my mom insisted on buying.

It’s kind of funny watching them. They look really hot and tired. What a terrible job. They go in and out and get more stuff out of the truck and then go in and out again. Before I realize it, they are already halfway done unloading.

It’s all happening so fast. Two days ago I lived in one house and now I live in another. It’s as if the old house just faded away. I haven’t even had time to think about anything else. Wait, where is that moving guy going with my bed?

Lizzy, stop staring and follow him up to your room and tell him where to put your bed, Dad yells out to me from the front door. Matt comes up the road and drops his skateboard on the front lawn and follows us in.

It’s strange to go to a room that is mine even though I’ve never seen before. Mom said I would like it.

Miss, the tallest mover asks, smiling, Where would you like your bed?

I point to a corner of the room. How about over there? I suggest.

I’m not sure where to put anything. I’ve seen my room for all of five seconds. Let’s see, if I put my bed in this corner, I’m really close to this other door. Hmm, I wonder what’s in there?

Opening the door, I peek inside, and get to see my closet. It has two sides so I can actually hang up all my clothes and there’s a full-length mirror in the middle.

Wow, there is even a shelf for my shoes and a stand for my jewelry. My closet is actually pretty amazing!

Walking around the room, I head straight for the bay windows. I like these two huge windows. With a pillow to sit on, this will be very